U.S. Pat. No. 8,115,038 discloses a method for producing 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane from 1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane by heating 1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane in the presence of ferric chloride and chlorine. The product of this direct chlorination is a mixture that is referred to as crude 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane liquid. This crude may include, in addition to the 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane, ferric chloride, 1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane, 1,1,3-trichloropropene, and 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene, as well as hexachloropropane.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,115,038 discloses that the 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane can be directly treated within a reactive distillation column to produce 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene. In the alternative, this patent discloses that the 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane can be further purified. While conventional techniques for purification may be evident to the skilled person, commercially efficient techniques for separating the 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane from the crude 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane liquid would be desirable.